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If you are curious to explore tape’s creative potential but are not yet willing to fork out the cash for a paid-for product, German software developer e-instruments is hoping to give you a taste of its “evocative warmth and warped textures” free of charge.

e-instruments has just released Slower Fragment, a virtual instrument that’s designed to capture the unique sound of analogue tape when it’s been slowed down to half speed. By recording sounds to tape and reducing the playback speed, we can shift the pitch down an octave and introduce a colourful and expressive lo-fi tone.

Here’s the Official Walkthrough:

In developing Slower Fragment, e-instruments has recorded a number of sound sources through four different tape machines, ranging from the Studer A812 – a top-end master recorder that you’d find in a professional studio – to a Tascam Portastudio 424, Uher 4400 and even a Sony M650v handheld dictaphone.

Slower Fragment features a selection of six presets covering pianos, synths, strings and flutes, and three macro controls can be used to tweak delay, reverb, modulation and more, depending on the preset selected.

This new free instrument delivers instant inspiration straight out of the box. Slower Fragment is built on the acclaimed Slower instrument, Slower, a paid-for plugin features 230 presets built from 65 sound sources, along with expanded modulation and effects capabilities. Slower is priced at €149.

Head over to e-instruments website to download the free plugin and find out more.

Antelope Audio drops free EQ plugin to celebrate the release of individual perpetual licenses for 75+ plugins.

MG4+ is Antelope’s take on a popular 500-Series six-band analogue EQ renowned for introducing top-end shine and clarity

Back in 2023, Antelope Audio announced that it was making its stable of Synergy Core plugins – which could previously only run on Antelope’s DSP-equipped audio interfaces – available natively on macOS and Windows.

Available exclusively via a subscription plan on launch, Antelope Audio’s collection of Synergy Core Native plugins has since expanded to encompass 75+ titles. Today, the company has announced that it’s making individual licenses for the native plugins available for purchase for the first time.

To mark the occasion, Antelope Audio is giving away a free plugin: MG4+. This is a 6-band EQ based on the Mäag Audio EQ4, a popular 500-Series hardware EQ. EQ4 is known for its Air Band functionality, renamed by Antelope as Sky Band, that opens up a signal’s top end and adds high-frequency shine without introducing harsh sibilance.

MG4+ features boost/cut knobs for five frequency bands (40Hz, 160Hz, 650Hz, 2.5kHz and a sub band around 15Hz) along with frequency selection and gain controls for the Sky Band. Simple but effective, MG4+ should work its magic on vocals, acoustic guitars, or any signal in need of some extra top-end presence and clarity.

Antelope Audio’s catalogue of native plugins is made up of a wide variety of emulations of classic studio gear, from vintage-inspired channel strips, preamps and compressors to recreations of hardware reverbs and delays. These are joined by a number of original plugins designed in-house, such as the InTune pitch correction tool and Space Flanger modulation effect.

“Our plugins are built on a legacy of great sound,” reads a statement from Antelope Audio. “After years of perfecting ultra-realistic analogue modeling for FPGA and DSP processors, we’ve brought that same expertise into the world of native software. The result is a collection that captures the warmth, precision, and musicality of legendary studio gear, now available right inside your DAW.”

Features:

• On/Bypass button
• Sub frequency boost/cut knob
• 40Hz boost/cut knob
• 160Hz boost/cut knob
• 650Hz boost/cut knob
• 5kHz boost/cut knob
• Sky band frequency select knob
• Sky band gain control knob

Antelope Audio’s MG4+ is compatible with macOS and Windows and available in AAX/AU/VST3 formats.

Visit Antelope Audi website to download the plugin and find out more.

Ocean Swift has introduced Sample Tester, a free instrument designed for rapid auditioning, tuning checks, and curation of oscillator-style samples.

With Sample Tester, you can drag and drop a sample file and immediately hear it played polyphonically, letting you quickly quick check tuning, harmonic behavior, and musical context.

Features:

• Automatically detects or permits manual setting of the root note
• Displays MIR-derived metrics such as pitch, peak, RMS, and loudness at a glance
• Offers an engine toggle to compare Direct-From-Disk streaming versus Time Machine Pro sample stretching
• Provides one-click amplitude envelope shapes (Perc, Bell, Piano, Lead, Pad)
• Supports NKS / NKS2 mappings, compatible with hardware control surfaces
• Works fully in the free Kontakt Player—no full Kontakt license required
• In modern production environments, sound designers and producers often sift through large volumes of raw samples.

Sample Tester is available now as a free Kontakt Player-compatible tool.